Conclusion Of Setting Up A Simple Home Page That Sells

Yesterday, we talked about setting up a simple website home page that sells. We left off outlining specific features that should be included on your home page. Let's continue.

In addition to featuring attention-grabbing graphics and including high-quality content, your home page should:

*Include a free offer of some type. People love freebies, especially if they are perceived to be of real value.

*Provide an opportunity for the visitor to subscribe to your site or newsletter list. It's even better if the opportunity includes some type of incentive such as a free offer.

*Provide directions (in the form of specific suggestions) as to where the visitor should go from there. When a visitor lands at your site, they want to be directed to where they should go for the information they need. They don't want to have to search for it. If they do, they'll most likely leave, quickly.

*Include an introduction to your main product or service offer.

For one-page websites, your home page should also include the following:

*A detailed overview of your product or service offer, highlighting its benefits (Note: There is a difference between product features and benefits. Remember to especially highlight the benefits. The potential customer wants to know "What's in it for me?" "How will this help me?").

*Include testimonials from people who have purchased or experienced your product or service.

*Include an iron-clad guarantee. The potential customer needs to know that if something goes wrong with their purchase, they have an absolutely reliable remedy.

*Include "the ask". Close the sale. If you don't ask for it, if you don't direct the visitor to make the purchase, you most definitely won't get the sale.

In addition to the above, your home page should also answer basic, relevant questions such as, why you are different from your competition (also known as your USP or Unique Selling Point), why your visitor should do business with you, and include other powerful selling points.

One caution: Keep slow loading content off of your home page to ensure that the page loads quickly. Slow loading pages are a death knell. Your visitors will not wait. If your page loads too slowly, they will simply skip your website and move on to the next.

Design your home page according to the tips we've discussed yesterday and today, and you will definitely attract relevant visitors, promote a better conversion rate and experience a successful website.